Beer delivery workers vote to end strike

A six-week strike by beer delivery drivers in the Twin Cities is over after workers voted overwhelmingly on Thursday night to ratify a contract offer from the company.

The 95 employees went on strike against J.J. Taylor Distributing Company in April. The union said they were concerned that employees would be required to carry dozens of heavy beer kegs a day by themselves under a new company plan.

"The issue of safety is why we were out on the street," said Teamsters Joint Council 32 political director Ed Reynoso. "It was never about wages, it was never about health benefits or vacation, it was always about safety."

Reynoso said the most recent offer from the company outlined that some of the keg-heavy routes, especially in the downtown Minneapolis area, will now be driven by two drivers. He said employees voted overwhelmingly to ratify the offer.

Hank DesPlaines, executive vice president for J.J. Taylor, said the company is ready to get back to normal business.

"It was resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties, and we are pleased that we were ultimately able to get to a settlement," DesPlaines said.

Teamsters Local Union #792 called for a boycott of brands delivered by the replacement workers, including Summit and Schell's beer companies, under the social media hashtag #NoRatScabBeer. They also asked friendly bars and liquor stores to stop taking deliveries from the company during the strike.

"We can't thank the general public enough for their involvement in this," Reynoso said. "We hope that this emboldens workers to step up and speak up for themselves if they feel like they're in an unsafe working condition."

DesPlaines said the replacement workers "delivered all the beer we intended to deliver" and "did not settle based on a perceived boycott."

Employees will return to work on Tuesday morning.